In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the production of mineral fibers such as glass fibers. Due to the increased usage of glass fibers, this interest has particularly focused on improved apparatus and method for the production of such fibers.
In the production of such fibers, molten glass is typically passed through orificed tips in a bushing or stream feeder to create individual cones of glass for the attenuation of fibers therefrom. As the molten streams of glass flow through the orificed projections for attenuation into fibers, the bushing and fiber forming environment are carefully controlled to avoid flooding of the molten glass material along the undersurface of the bushing. If such flooding occurs, the fiber forming operation is disrupted, and thus, production is stopped.
By use of Applicants' invention, this fiber forming disruption problem because of bushing flooding is eliminated. In fact, the tendency of molten material to flood is capitalized on by Applicants' fiber forming apparatus and method in that the streams of material for attenuation into fibers are drawn from a deliberately flooded housing.